Apparatus for constructing dress-forms.



L. LEMGKE. APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUGTING DRESS FORMS. APPLIUATION FILED JAN.15, 1909.

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APPARATUS FORCONSTRUGTING DRESS FORMS. APPLICATION FILED JAN.15, 1909.

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LOUIS LEMCKE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALEXANDER A.

- EBERSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING DRESS-FORMS.

flat-79K To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs LEMGKE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Apparatus for Constructing Dress-Forms, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to an apparatus for constructing dress forms, my object being to provide a simple, inexpensive apparatus particularly intended for use by tailors, dress makers and the like, for accurately obtaining the lines and contour of a figure, thus enabling the user to make up a dress form or model to be used in fitting garments, and which form has the exact lines and contour of the figure on which the apparatus is used.

To the above purposes, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus of my improved construction; Fig. 2 is an end View of the apparatus with a number of the adjustable fingers removed therefrom; Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 and showing a series of adjustable fingers, one of which is in section; Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through the center of my improved apparatus, and the same being shown applied for use; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Fig. i; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section taken approximately on the line (36 of Fig. l.

The base portion of my improved apparatus comprises four posts or standards 1, which are mounted on rollers or casters 1, and fixed in the adjacent edges of these standards 1 projecting toward one another are rails 2, which serve as braces between the two sets of standards, and said braces being detachably connected by means of hooks 3, which enter staples t. Carried by one pair of the standards 1 are horizontally disposed rails 5, which pass through suitably located apertures 6 in the opposite pair of standards, thus forming guides for maintaining the two pairs of'standards in proper position when the same are moved apart to allow a Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 15, 1909.

Patented Dec. 28, 1909. Serial No. 472,458.

person to occupy the proper position within the apparatus.

7 designates posts which are hinged to the upper ends of the posts 1 in such a manner as to swing outward and downward, and hinged to the upper outer corners of these posts 7 are rails 8, which form supporting legs for said posts 7 when the same are swung downward into horizontal position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Fixed to the upper ends of the posts 7 and projecting toward one another are rails 9, the meeting ends of which are adapted to be connected by hooks 10 entering staples l1.

Extending transversely between the upper and lower ends of each pair of posts 7 are rails 12, the ends of which enter recesses 18 formed in the inner faces of said posts 7, and seated in the ends of these rails 12, and passing through apertures formed in the posts 7, are bolts 14, the outer ends of which are threaded and receive nuts 15, and which lat-- ter carry rings or loops 16, which are manually engaged when the nuts are tightened on the bolts 14.

17 designates a series of horizontally disposed metal plates, which are arranged at equal distances apart, and the ends of which are seated in horizontally disposed slots 18, formed in the inner faces of the posts 7, and the plates 17 of each series are sup ported at their centers by a vertically disposed rail 19, the ends of which are seated in the central portions of the rails 12.

The adjustable fingers 20, forming a part of my improved apparatus, are formed of suitable tubes, rectangular in cross section, the forward ends of'which are rounded, as designated by 21, and said fingers are each provided with a longitudinally extending horizontally disposed slot 22, through which passes the corresponding plate 17, and positioned within each finger and bearing against the corresponding plate 17 is a light compression spring 23.

Fixed on the inner faces of the posts 7 and bearing against the outer faces of the outer series of fingers 20, are blocks 2%, of rubber, or analogous elastic material.

The use of my improved apparatus is as follows: When the lines and contour of a persons figure are to be obtained for the purpose of making a dress form, the hooks 3 and 10 are detached from the staples 4: and 11, thus permitting the two parts of the apparatus to be separated or moved apart a sufficient distance to permit the person for whom the form is to be made to take a position between the two parts of the apparatus and between the oppositely arranged sets of fingers 20. Nhen the two parts of the apparatus are thus separated the rails 5 form a sliding connection between the two parts to insure the return of the two parts to their proper relative positions when moved toward one another.

The two parts of the apparatus are now moved toward one another until the ends of the rails 2 and 9 meet, and in so doing the forward rounded ends of the fingers 20 will engage against the body of the person within the apparatus, and said fingers will be moved rearward upon the various plates 17, thus compressing the springs 23. As soon as this operation has been accomplished, the hooks 3 and 10 are engaged in the staples t and 11 to lock the two parts of the apparatus together, after which the nuts 15 are tightened upon the bolts 14, which action clamps the posts 7 onto the ends of the rails 12, and in turn clamping the various rows of fingers tightly together between said posts 7, and thus holding said fingers against horizontal movement in either direction. When this clamping operation is completed, the hooks 3 and 10 are disengaged from the staples 4 and 11, after which the standards 1 are moved apart and the posts 7 carrying the sets of fingers 20 are swung downward into horizontal planes, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, thus permitting the person for whom the form is being made to step out of the apparatus.

The two sets of fingers clamped between the two pairs of posts 7 correctly indicate the lines and contour of the upper portion of the figure of the person on which the apparatus was used, and to obtain a form on which the garments may be fitted, strips of moist paper or analogous material are laid upon the inner ends of the two sets of fingers, and when said paper or analogous material has become hardened, the two sections are removed from the sets of fingers and said sections are joined at the sides in any suitable manner, and thus a substantial form is provided which may be utilized in fitting garments made for the person on which the apparatus was originally used.

After the apparatus has been once used and the paper form has been removed from the sets of fingers, thenuts 15 are loosened, which action loosens the clamping strain on the sets of fingers, and the springs 23 return to their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 1.

An apparatus of my improved construction is comparatively simple, is easily operated, and provides means whereby an accurate dress form may be easily and quickly obtained.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a movable frame, a series of independently and longitudinally movable form defining spring held fingers arranged in said frame, and means whereby the fingers are clamped after adjustment in use.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame composed of two movable parts, said parts being separable on a vertical line, and a series of independently and longitudinally movable spring held form defining fingers carried by each part.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a movable frame formed in two parts, a series of independently and longitudinally movable spring held form defining fingers carried by each part, and means whereby the fingers are rigidly held after being adjusted in use.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame formed of two parts, said parts being separable from each other on a vertical line, means whereby the two parts of the frame are connected in the desired relation to each other, and a series of independently and longitudinally movable spring held form defining fingers carried by each part.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a pair of upright frames, the upper portions of which are hinged and adapted to swing outward and downward, and a series of independently and longitudinally operating spring held form defining fingers carried by the hinged portion of each frame.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a pair of upright frames, the upper portions of which are hinged and adapted to swing outward and downward, a series of independently and longitudinally operating spring held form defining fingers carried by the hinged portion of each frame, and means w iereby all of the fingers are clamped after being adjusted in use.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS LEMCKE. IVitnesses M. P. SMITH, E. L. IVALLAGE. 

